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Post by puppypal on Mar 31, 2013 19:41:59 GMT
Well at all about dogs today things did not exactly go to plan, we were in 6 classes 3 scruffts 3 fun dog show. i could not stop shaking in anuy of the classes i could not stop, ever since going to crufts i cant stop shaking when thinking about crufts i cant even whatch the vidioe of us at crufts becuase i start shaking, this really sucks as we have got many shows planned for this year and at this moment i dont think i can hack going to any shows anymore, losing at crufts has been a big blow to my confidence and i just feel like everything i have done with barley is not worth it and that there is no point of me doing anything whith him anymore as he has been there done that and got the rossett, i dont want to retire him from showing but at this rate i might have to because my nerves are getting the better of me.
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Post by bextull on Mar 31, 2013 20:30:36 GMT
I know I've said it before but I think you are doing to much.
Nobody is making you do shows, and there is nothing wrong with giving it a break or giving it up completely. If your not comfortable at shows then sooner or later its going to rub off on the dog your handling. You lost crufts, lots of people do, it's not the end of the world and I think most people will agree that getting there is an achievement, whether you placed or not. I'm not somebody who goes to many dog shows, but I've been to a few and I've never been bothered about winning. Maybe if you did only fun shows with this view it might help your nerves.
If you have to stop showing then it might give you time to focus on some different stuff. Barley probably wont even notice.
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Post by puppypal on Mar 31, 2013 20:39:12 GMT
Most of the shows we do are fun dog shows, i am comforetable i just cant stop shaking, even when people ask about crufts it just brings up memorise again that i have tried to forget, the reason i am so upset about not getting placed at crufts is because of the way it was judged and how everything was handled, the judge has no idea how much barley measn to me she thought that the dog which she picked to win was the golden oldie but she wasnt becky was the prettiest bitch, yes lots of people loose at crufts but to come so far with barley and to fall at the last hurdle just makes me feel like finding pat butcher and giving her a peice of my mind.
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Post by bextull on Mar 31, 2013 20:54:14 GMT
Most of the shows we do are fun dog shows, i am comforetable i just cant stop shaking, even when people ask about crufts it just brings up memorise again that i have tried to forget, the reason i am so upset about not getting placed at crufts is because of the way it was judged and how everything was handled, the judge has no idea how much barley measn to me she thought that the dog which she picked to win was the golden oldie but she wasnt becky was the prettiest bitch, yes lots of people loose at crufts but to come so far with barley and to fall at the last hurdle just makes me feel like finding pat butcher and giving her a peice of my mind. If your shaking how can you be completely comfortable? Why are you trying to forget crufts? It sounds to me like you are not proud of Barley for getting there if you want to forget it. Yes it was handled badly but its not the judges fault. So what if the names were mixed up, even if Becky was called the prettiest bitch she still would have won as it was the dog the judge liked best. Even if she was called Lucy, she would have won because the judge like her. And I liked her, I was very please that she won. Get over losing crufts and try again, nobody is holding you back.
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tillytubbie
Established member
YOURDOG Member Since: Sunday, 16 March 2008
Posts: 152
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Post by tillytubbie on Mar 31, 2013 21:47:59 GMT
Puppy pal, I am going to be completely honest with you. Dog shows such as Scruffts are 'fun'. You rarely find people like you that attend heats repeatedly just for the glory of winning. Barley is a crossbreed and therefore does not have a 'show career' as you keep claiming him to have. Pedigrees that are bred to be shown do have a 'Show career'. I think you did exceptionally well to get to the Scruffts final, but you seem to be spoiling the memory by being very bitter about it. You didn't win - so what? Neither did any of the other hundreds of Pedigree dogs that entered Crufts. There's nothing worse than being a sore loser, it's far better to look at things with a positive attitude.
No one is making you enter these shows - you choose to do so. If you don't feel comfortable or feel nervous - stop. It's as simple as that. You aren't going to win everything and I think you have to be mature enough to accept that. Sorry if I seem harsh, but I am just expressing my opinion.
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Post by smokeybear on Mar 31, 2013 23:53:58 GMT
I realise you are only very young, however losing is part of life and learning how to accept it is part of growing up.
Of course you thought that you deserved to win, as did everyone else I am sure.
Of course there can only be one winner.
Did you not take the best pet home?
If you cannot be a good loser it is better not to enter as it will end up spoiling your relationship with your dog and also other people.
It is a fun competition, nobody died, and your career or livelihood did not depend on it.
Learn to be gracious in defeat and if you are not enjoying dog shows then do not enter them, do something that does not result in you feeling so angry.
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Post by johnl on Apr 1, 2013 14:14:02 GMT
I have been showing for many years, more often than not we are unplaced, you cannot win every time. As others have said, if you can't accept not winning you shouldn't bother showing. It's supposed to be FUN, if you are shaking with nerves in the ring your dog will pick up on it and act badly. If you want to continue try going to local companion shows, (which are the only ones you can enter if your dog is not KC registered), meet other owners and treat it as a good day out, if you are lucky enough to get placed then you've had a good day, if not, don't worry there will be other shows. Do you attend ring craft lessons? This should give you the confidence to handle and be in the ring.
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Post by puppypal on Apr 1, 2013 17:54:32 GMT
I dont attend ringcraft classes, but would like to if we get a second dog. Thats the thing barley did not act up, he was better than he usually is, he behaved and done as he was told, he was happy to be in the ring, we dont just enter them for the glory of winning, i know you win some and loose lots, he has not been placed in loads of classes, sometimes i agree with the judge other times i dont, we have only been to about 3 shows were we did not get placed in any class, and one of them was a fixed show, we do go to local companion dog shows and we make a day of it and have fun they always give great prizes at the small village shows than the big shows round where we live, i have been shown how to handle dogs in a ring pedigree or crossbreed and depending on the class, this is just the first time i have got nervouse, at crufts i was not at all nervouse i was exited and could not wait when we were due to go in the main ring i was not nervouse it was only after we got out of the ring that i broke down and this was the first show i have been to since crufts.
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Post by smokeybear on Apr 1, 2013 18:03:57 GMT
Being teary after all the adrenaline rush is perfectly normal.
I have walked off a field with more marks than I deserved sometimes and I have walked off with fewer than I deserved sometimes, that is life I am afraid. Showing is subjective and as I always say, if you cannot take a joke then do not play the game.
And that is what showing is, a game.
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Post by caz2golden on Apr 1, 2013 18:38:33 GMT
I have always struggled with my self confidence and add an anxiety issue on top and well Life has challenges at times!! Lack of self confidence can be a real problem in life. You will need to work on this as hard as you can as it can affect lots of aspects of your life. Please don't be like me!! I sometimes wish I could do competition work however whatever happens I know I have the best dogs coming home with me. I would only want to do competitions to show how much I love my dogs and cos I want to do fun things with them. If you feel resentment towards Barley cos you have not won then it is time to stop and finding something else to do with him. It sounds like you do not enjoy showing if you are physically shaking throughout the competition. Do you do this in every fun show or is it only scrufts heats. You do other types of competitions don't you? You have mentioned training for Cani-X and agility on other threads. Do you do the same in those competitions? You have to mentally remember than only 1 person can win each class and likelihood only 3 will be placed. Therefore the likelihood is there will be more disappointments than confidence boosters. Crufts should have been a real highlight whatever happened and it is a real shame that you can not see what an achievement it is to have got there and that Barley was so well behaved when he was there. If you are to continue with showing you need to look at the positive things, the comment from the breeder saying Barley is stunning or is well turned out etc. I agree with Bextull that it was tough competition in the Scrufts final and Becky who won was a stunning little dog, a real mongrel. I also liked the look of her (on TV). I think it is unfair to take that away from Becky, she was as worthy a winner as any of the finalists. Isn't Scrufts about cross breed dogs having fun and showing that they are fantastic dogs? Isn't it designed for crossbreeds that have unknown background with regard to their breeding?
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longhope
Settling in well!
Posts: 63
Pets I own: Parsons Russell Terrier puppy, previously owned an English Springer Spaniel.
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Post by longhope on Apr 1, 2013 21:11:12 GMT
Puppypal, I concur with SB, also think you need to take some time out to chill over your disappointment at Crufts. Would imagine your upset state has rubbed off on Barley a little too.
Competition is full of unfair decisions, sometimes it goes for you and other times not (look at Torvill & Dean in their last Olympics). At the end of the day only you can reflect on your performance/preparation. Crufts, I would imagine was an awesome experience, that in itself is something to be proud of.
Keep up the showing, you are doing well.
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Post by Jessie99 on Apr 1, 2013 23:06:54 GMT
I personally think that some members have came across a little harsh and unfair to Annabelle here, but I think to just leave it as it is. Well, PP, personally I honestly do think that you+Barley should of won at Crufts (and I am not just saying that because I am talking to you - Barley was my favourite dog out of the finalists). However, I do think all of the dogs in the show deserved to win and Becky done very well, as did all of the other finalists! . All beautiful dogs there! PP, I think you need a little of encouragement! You seem to do things on your own a lot? From what I have heard. I personally think that you are a great person! You are doing very well and I really think that you are going to be a very successful dog handler in the future (including in showing at Crufts, etc). But the nerves need to go! Some passions/hobbies can become 'obsessions' and I'm not saying that you have an obsession! But maybe if you give yourselves a rest for a while and let Barley be a proper dog and let him get filthy, let him be a big clown, etc and give each other a break, then maybe you can take it up again! Maybe just give a break for a couple of month! But please, never give up on your dreams! What I do for nerves in shows: -think about only me and charlie/roman -remember its only for fun -ENJOY myself -feel great to have come as far as I have (if it is heats, auditions, semi-finals, finals, etc! -make sure I am keeping calm -i stroke my dog for reassurance for both charlie/roman and myself! You're doing fine, keep it up! *Anything said which has come across harsh, offending or upsetting then it is honestly not intentional, I just want to help you!*
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Post by johnl on Apr 2, 2013 9:19:22 GMT
Puppypal, may be missing the point here, are you nervous about entering the ring, do you think that everyone is watching you and waiting for you to make a mistake? I can understand being nervous at Crufts, it's a massive show with loads of people watching. But they are watching the dogs, not you. I only managed to get 3rd in breed class and have been going for the past nine years. If you are suffering from show nerves there are some things that can help, you could try a few drops of Rescue Remedy, if you can get to ring-craft classes this should help because there is no pressure to win. Don't give up, keep going to shows and have fun. Remember you are taking the best dog home. Good luck.
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Post by BorderTerrier on Apr 2, 2013 9:29:26 GMT
I can understand why your confidence has been knocked a little since Crufts - you did very well to get into the finals though! I think you deserved to win I really don't think you should give up shows like that. Like you said, they are meant to be fun anyway. Me and Earl have entered a lot of fun dog shows and not won! In fact we've only came second so far! That's not bothering me though. And some fun shows, we've even not got a place, but we still do them for fun, just me and Earl. It's nice to do something with your doggy best friend and TRY to win, but get over it if you don't. If you shake, your obviously a little put down and nervous. You need to think its just a bit of fun time for you and Barls together Don't give up - gotta be in it to win it
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Post by charlottte on Apr 2, 2013 9:41:09 GMT
Nerves before a show is normal, your adrenalin levels are sky high. But fun shows should be that, fun. I'm sure a lot of pedigree dog showers will agree that a lot of the time showing is politics.
You already know that you can't win them all. Me and Jasper have been to numerous fun shows and the highest he's ever gotten is a 3rd. He's still my amazing little man and I'm proud just to get a rosette, even if they are just for little daft classes but at the end of the day, everyone goes home with their Number 1.
Of course you wanted Barley to win, you got to the final and got on TV! Just getting to Crufts is an achievement. Especially seeing how many competitors were in Scruffts.
It's heartbreaking when you think that people don't appreciate your dog as much as you. But at the end of the day, Barley doesn't know that he didn't win, he just had a brilliant day out with his family.
Judging cross breeds is a lot harder that pedigrees as there is no breed standard. It's basically just health and judge preference.
It's hard but you can't take everything to heart. If I took to heart the amount of people who said they hated Poodles and think they're awful dogs, I'd be a very unhappy person.
I would take a break from Scruffts and just concentrate on fun shows if you really want to do shows, put this down to experience, pick yourself up and come back fighting if you decide to try it again. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!
But you do sound like you're overdoing yourself with showing, Obedience, HTM and Grooming. It's not just stressful for Barley, it'll be stressing you out too. And take it from me, I'm the biggest stress head going!
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